Dietary Fat Recommendations

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2006 Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations

In the 2000s, AHA’s recommendations emphasized core elements of population-wide recommendations for cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment and provided a role of health care professionals to educate Americans about diet’s role in CVD in a clinical setting. The revised focus was on promotion of cardiovascular health (CVH) and prevention of CVD with recognition of the role of the environment and community settings to influence food choices. The 2006 recommendations are for the population ages 2 and older and include diet and lifestyle recommendations to reduce CVD risk, including:

 Balance calorie intake and physical activity to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight.  Consume a diet rich in vegetables and fruits.

 Choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods.

 Consume fish, especially oily fish, at least twice a week.

 Limit your intake of

•         saturated fat to <7% of energy,

•         trans fat to <1% of energy, and

•         cholesterol to <300 mg per day by: 

  • Choosing lean meats and vegetable alternatives;

  • Selecting fat-free (skim), 1%-fat, and low-fat dairy products; and

  • Minimizing intake of partially hydrogenated fats.

 Minimize your intake of beverages and foods with added sugars

 Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.

 If you consume alcohol, do so in moderation.